Beauty and the Vaati
by purplepanic
Summary: While Link searches for someone to reforge the Picori blade, and Vaati is still in full power, he decides that he wants a servant. The mage goes to the castle town in search of one and is given a 16 year old girl named Tally. Though Vaati is mean and cruel at first, Tally begins to find out more about his past. Is he really evil? Or just a broken soul? The cover was done by Skykly.
1. Chapter 1

Vaati marched through the castle town, a giant grin on his face. At the sight of him, villagers grabbed their children and hid in the shadows. The wind mage stopped in the middle of the town square. He waited until there was complete silence before he spoke. A small crowd of brave villagers gathered around the sorcerer.

"I am in need of a servant!" Vaati declared.

Silence.

"Did you not see what I did to the princess? She's a bloody statue! Anyone of you could be next. Give me a servant, or else!" Vaati boomed.

There seemed to be a disturbance in the crowd. A girl's voice screamed "No! I don't want to go!" Then a man's voice said "I'm too poor to feed you anyway." After that, a teen about the age of 15 or 16 was pushed out of the crowd and onto the ground in front of Vaati. She stared up at him fearfully, tears welling up in her dark green eyes.

"Well, you will have to do, I suppose." Vaati sighed. The girl slowly stood up, and brushed herself off. The sorcerer held out his hand, and the girl took it. Then, at the snap of the mage's fingers, they teleported to his palace.

When the two arrived at the castle, Vaati immediatly started barking orders at his new slave.

"The floors in my thrown room need to be washed, there's rags and a basin in the kitchen. After that, you can clean _all_ of the windows." Vaati said.

The girl started towards the kitchen, so she could begin the floors.

"Wait!" He yelled. "I need something to address you by, what is your name?"

"Tally." She replied meekly.

"Speak up child!" Vaati yelled.

"TALLY!" she yelled back.

Vaati smiled to himself. _a feisty one._ He thought.

Tally made her way into the kitchen, to look for cleaning supplies. She spied a basin in the corner of the room. She picked it up and put it in the sink. As the basin filled, she started her search for rags. Tally opened every cupboard. In each one, there were a few plates and forks scattered around. Occasionally a rag, which she snagged.

By the time the basin was finished filling, Tally had collected four rags. She carried the heavy porcelain bowl into the thrown room and set it down gently. She scrubbed and scrubbed the filthy floors until her knees ached horribly. When she tried to stand up, she almost fell over because her legs had gone numb. Vaati, who was sitting in his thrown reading a book, watched her as she struggled to stand up.

Tally went back into the kitchen and dumped out the dirty water in the sink. She then filled it up again and went back into the thrown room. By the time she returned, Vaati was gone. It was a good thing that the windows weren't too high. She was able to clean them with ease and didn't mind doing it much. At least she was able to see outside. As she worked, she thought of her father giving her away. Parents were supposed to protect their children, not protect themselves _with _their children. What a ridiculous situation that she had some how wound up in.

When Tally finally finished the windows in the thrown room, it must have been 6:00 or 6:30 pm. She was about to put the cleaning supplies away when she heard a fairly familiar voice behind her. She spun around. Vaati was buttoning up his cloak.

"I am going out. I won't be long, but when I return, I would like tea ready." The wind mage told her. Tally nodded and made her way into the kitchen to make tea.

The tea kettle was already on the counter and the tea bags right next to it. No tea cups though.

"Hmmm..." Tally hummed as she searched the cupboards once more. She soon came across a little china Teacup with purple designs on it. As she pulled it out, it slipped out of her fingers and fell to the floor. She gasped and picked it up. The side of cup was chipped and she cursed under her breath. She could just imagine what Vaati would do when he found out that she had chipped his beautiful little teacup.

Tally sighed as she placed the cup on the counter. The kettle whistled as it started to boil. She took it off of the burner and poured the extremely hot water into the chipped cup. She then dropped a teabag inside and stirred it around with a spoon. since Vaati had no milk or cream, (let alone an ice box) she would just leave it a bit to cool down. Around this time, if she were at home, Tally would be having supper and tea herself. She was not hungry though.

Tally heard Vaati open and slam the door.

Not wanting him to get mad at her for keeping him waiting, Tally rushed into the sorcerer's thrown room. By this time, Vaati was already seated in his thrown. Tally handed him his teacup nervously. Vaati took the cup and noticed the chip. He looked up at Tally, who's eyes were glued to the floor.

"Did you chip this?" He asked.

"Umm... well, I was taking it out of the cupboard and I accidentally dropped it. I am so sorry." Tally cringed, waiting for the sorcerer to start screaming.

"I never liked this cup anyway." he said, and took a sip.

Tally sighed of relief.

"Well, um is there anything else you would like me to do tonight?"

Vaati thought for a moment.

"I suppose you have done enough work for tonight, but be up early tomorrow for more chores." He waved his hand dismissing her.

She didn't move.

"What is it Tally?" Vaati snapped.

"Where should I sleep?"

Vaati sighed and started to pull something out of his cloak pocket. He took out a silver skeleton key and tossed it at Tally, who caught it.

"Go upstairs and turn left. The second door on the right is yours." He said. "Now leave me be."

Tally obeyed and started up the stairs to her room. She unlocked the second door on the right. When she opened the door, she was greeted with a musty scent. She examined the room. A small cot sat in the right corner. A purple quilt lay on the bed. _This guy sure does love purple._ She thought to herself. Next to the bed, there was a night table with a (Surprise, surprise) purple lamp on it. On the other side of the room there was a dresser and desk.

Tally took off her dress. She did not have a night gown, so sleeping in her bloomers and camisole would have to do. She crawled under the covers and puled the purple quilt up to her chin. The bed was surprisingly soft. She closed her eyes and soon fell asleep.


	2. A painting

The last couple days had been really rainy. Dark clouds loomed over Hyrule. Meanwhile, at the palace of winds, Vaati had been quite distant. giving Tally a list of things to do, and then disappearing to somewhere inside the castle.

The first thing on Tally's list today, was to clean the inside of the oven. She searched the pantries for Baking soda and vinegar. When she found some, she mixed them together in a bowl to make a paste. She then took out the oven racks, and started spreading the paste on the inside of the oven. She used an old cloth to scrub away at the black grimy mess. She did the same with the oven racks and then rinsed them out in the sink.

Satisfied with the work she'd done, Tally looked at the next thing on her list. _Dust the mantel piece in the thrown room._ It said. Before she started, she would need a feather duster. She checked the broom closet next to the pantry and found one with long black feathers.

Tally went into the thrown room, and over to the mantel. She hadn't really noticed before but Vaati's shelf had a few interesting things on it. There was a gold chalice, a clock, and a rock with swirly lines that resembled wind, carved into it. Tally figured the lines had something to do with Vaati being a wind mage. The most interesting thing however, was just above the mantel. A beautiful water colour painting hung on a rusty old nail. The painting was of a Picori woman. Though Tally had never seen one herself, Picori's were supposedly magical creatures, that were no bigger than a Hylian's thumb. They wore pointy little hats and had big eyes. The woman in the painting had lavender skin, purple hair, and red eyes. _just like Vaati. _She thought.

Tally was about to finish her dusting. When she noticed something in the bottom right corner of the painting. In purple cursive were the letters _V.P. _Tally pondered for a moment. Could Vaati, the evil sorcerer have painted this beautiful picture? More importantly however, who was the woman _in_ the beautiful picture?

The painting didn't leave Tally's mind. She was still thinking about it while making lentil soup for supper. Along with the soup, She made homemade biscuits in the clean shiny oven. When the food was done, she brought it to the dining room table and started setting up their places. Vaati sat at the head, and she sat across from him. Soon after the places were set, Vaati arrived, and they started their meal.

They sat in silence until Tally decided to ask about the painting.

"While I was cleaning your mantel piece today Vaati, I couldn't help but notice the gorgeous painting above it. It's very beautiful." Tally said with a smile.

"It _is_ nice, isn't it." Vaati agreed.

"Yes! Very nice. Might I ask who painted it?"

There were a few moments of silence before Vaati spoke.

"_I_ Painted it." He said stiffly.

"Wow! You're an amazing artist!" said his maid, excitedly.

Though Vaati liked the compliments, he was worried about where this was going.

"Who's it of?" Tally asked.

There. She had overstepped her boundaries.

"I don't want to talk about it!" Vaati snapped.

Tally sank down in her seat, taken aback by his sharpness.

After a few more seconds of awkward silence, Vaati got up from his chair abruptly and went to his room, without finishing his meal. Leaving Tally alone to wonder why he had gotten so upset.


	3. falling of the stars

Tally looked out the kitchen window longingly. It was October 7th. The falling of the stars was tonight, and she really wanted to see them. The falling of the stars is a huge meteor shower that happens each year on the same magical October night. Legend has it, that the goddesses, Nayru, Din and Farore bring down the stars in a huge spectacular, to show their thanks to all the good people in the world.

It had been a week since the whole painting incident. Vaati hadn't stayed cross with Tally for long, and she had done all of her chores without question. She figured the mage would at least _consider_ letting her go outside to see them.

Tally gathered up her courage and stepped out of the kitchen to ask Vaati if she could go. She saw him heading for the door.

"Vaati! I..." She was cut off.

"I'm going for a walk." Vaati mumbled and then walked out the door.

Tally sighed. She knew "Going for a walk" meant unleashing monsters and bothering people. She would have to ask him when he returned. With that she went back into the kitchen.

She started supper. Tally cooked Chicken, carrots, potatoes and made tea of course. Tally brought the two plates of food and tea into the dining room. she jumped a little when she saw that Vaati was already sitting down. _When did he come back? _Tally thought to herself.

She set his plate and chipped teacup in front of him, and the sorcerer mumbled a barely audible "thank you."

Tally took her own seat and tried to make casual conversation before she asked about the falling of the stars.

"That was a short walk!" She smiled.

"Mhm" Vaati replied as he stabbed a carrot with his fork.

"Well," Tally started. "did you know that the falling of the stars is tonight?" She asked as she crossed her fingers under the table.

Vaati looked up at Tally. "That's tonight?" He asked, to her surprise.

"Yeah! You see it happens one night a year and some people say it's-"

Tally's voice faded out as one of Vaati's memories resurfaced.

_Flashback:_

"Master Ezlo! Master Ezlo! Guess what!"

Ezlo put down his book to find a little Picori boy staring up at him.

"What is it Vaati?" Ezlo asked, somewhat annoyed.

"Well, it's the falling of the stars tonight! The goddesses bring down the stars and I hear it's really pretty! Can I go?"

Ezlo sighed. "Sorry Vaati, you're not finished your studies, so you can't go."

"But!"

"No buts! Magic doesn't take breaks and neither will you. Now, back to work"

The little Minish boy turned away from his master, and ran back to his desk. He wiped away tears that started to brim in his eyes, and continued reading his magic spell book.

_End of flashback._

"Vaati?" Tally asked and cocked her head to the side slightly.

Vaati shook his head, as if coming out of a trance.

"I suppose we could...check it out." He said casually.

"REALLY!?" Tally beamed. "I mean, thank you!" She said, trying to compose herself.

They finished their dinner and Vaati told Tally to meet him at the door in 5 minutes.

Tally put the dishes in the sink and decided that she would do them when they returned.

She slipped on her shoes and made her way to the door where she waited patiently for Vaati.

The wind mage came down the stairs a minute later with something in his hand. It was a cloak.

"It's probably cold outside." He said simply and handed the coat to his servant.

She took it graciously.

"Wow! Thank you!" She said, surprised at his sudden kindness. Tally put on the cloak.

"Don't mention it. Now, let's get going."

Vaati and his maid walked in silence, out of the palace grounds. Tally wondered where they were going. She didn't ask questions, however, just followed.

After a few minutes of walking Vaati finally stopped on a hill, under a tree over looking Hyrule castle town. The village was brightly lit and Children waited patiently outside their houses for the meteor shower.

"Look!" Tally said excitedly and pointed to the sky. Vaati glanced upward to find a small ball of light falling from the heavens. Soon the whole sky was lit up with falling stars.

"Wow!" Tally breathed.

"They're beautiful." Vaati murmured.

"What did you say?" Tally asked, even though she had heard _exactly_ what he had said.

"Nothing." Vaati mumbled, embarrassed.

"I agree," Tally whispered. "They are beautiful."


	4. a letter

Vaati cringed as his feet hit the cold floor. Winter was just around the corner. The sorcerer got dressed and walked over to his mirror.

As Vaati adjusted his hat, he began to smell something burning. He rushed out of his room, and to the kitchen.

"Tally what have you done?" Vaati yelled.

Tally was barely visible through the smoke. She was fanning a pan on the stove with a dish towel.

"Sorry! I'm so sorry! I was making pancakes and I left them on the stove to long. It's all under control though!" She said.

"You stupid girl! Didn't anyone ever teach you how to cook?" Vaati yelled.

Tally's eyes fell to the floor and she didn't reply.

"Well, just clean it up." Vaati mumbled and left the room.

He turned right and walked down the corridor. At the end of the hallway was a purple curtain. He pushed it aside and stepped into his favorite room. His library. Any book you could think of, Vaati had. The walls were full of books. Books on top of books. In the middle of the room facing a fireplace, sat two over stuffed purple arm chairs. Vaati closed his eyes and ran his finger along the spine's of the books. he stopped randomly and pulled out the book his finger had landed on. "_A guide to herbs and plants_." was written in gold on the dark green spine. Vaati smiled. This was one of his favorites.

Tally sighed as she threw the burnt pancakes in the garbage. _What a waste._ She thought. She would have to make it up to Vaati. She made more tea. He seemed to like tea. She used the purple porcelain teacup.

As Tally stepped out of the kitchen, she wondered where Vaati had gone. She tried to remember in what direction she had heard his footsteps go. She decided right was her best bet. She walked down the long hallway and at the end, was greeted with a purple curtain. She pulled open the drape and nearly dropped the tea cup again. The walls were practically book shelves.

"Wow!" Tally breathed.

Vaati turned around in his chair.

"Ahem." He coughed, clearly annoyed. "What are you doing here?"

Tally looked at the sorcerer, as if she had only just noticed that he was sitting there.

"Oh, sorry I just came to bring you this." Tally handed him the tea cup.

"Well that's quite nice of you but you are not aloud in here. This is my private room with my private things, so if you wouldn't mind leaving." Vaati said and turned back around in his arm chair.

Tally frowned. "Ok." She sighed. "You have a really nice collection of books though."

Vaati smiled slightly. " I do don't I?"

"Mhm. I love reading." She said absentmindedly and headed for the door.

Vaati rolled his eyes and sighed. "Wait."

She stopped.

"When you finnish all of your work today, you may come back and borrow a book." He said.

Tally was delighted. She thanked him quickly and ran out of the library to get started with her work

Tally worked hard all day. Doing chore after chore after chore.

The last thing she was told to do today, was sweep found a broom and swept all of the rooms downstairs. The thrown room floor was not very dirty, considering how she had washed it a little while ago. The kitchen wasn't either, for she spent a lot of time in there, and had cleaned it already. It was the extra bed rooms and things like that, that were quite dusty. Sweeping was still hard work, however, Tally didn't find it as physically draining as scrubbing the floors.

Just as Tally thought she was done, she came across a two large wooden doors. She pushed them open and gasped. There before her was a beautiful ballroom. What else was Vaati hiding in this place? The room was enormous. White tile covered the floor, and a giant golden chandelier hung in the middle of the ceiling. Tally began to clean the forgotten chamber. She swept away the cobwebs that were in the corners, and then the rest of the room.

Tally finished and made her way to the door. She felt bad leaving the ballroom, as if it was lonely, and wanted people to dance in it. Tally was excited for her book though, so she made herself close the door and walk away.

As she walked down the somewhat familiar corridor, to the library, Tally couldn't help but smile. She came across the curtain and pushed it open. Vaati still sat in his purple armchair reading.

"Ahem." Tally coughed.

Vaati looked over his shouder for a moment, and then back at his book.

"You're finished your work, I presume." He said and flipped a page.

"Um, yes...Am I still aloud to borrow a book?" She asked and bit her lip.

"Yes, go ahead."

Tally skipped over to one of the book shelves. it was hard for her to decide which one to pick! There were so many!

A royal blue hard cover book caught her eye. She pulled it out of the shelf and saw that it was entitled "The Minish."

"Hmmm...This looks interesting...Is this one ok Vaati?"

"Yes, Yes whichever one is fine." He answered, without looking up.

"Alright! Thanks again!" Tally said, and scurried out of the library and into her room.

She threw herself on the bed and started reading.

Tally learned many new things about these tiny creatures. She learned that they use leaves and mushrooms for clothing and furniture, and also that there are different types

of Minish! Forest Minish, mountain Minish, and even town Minish! As Tally was flipping through the book, a letter fell out from between the pages and into her lap. She picked it up and examined it. It was addressed to Vaati.

Tally knew she shouldn't read it, but she was so intrigued. After mentally debating with herself for a while, Tally's curiosity finally got the better of her and she opened it.

The first Tally noticed when she opened the envelope, was that the writing was kind of messy. As if the person writing it was shaking. she was still able to make it out however, so she began to read.

_sweet Vaati, _

_By the time you read this my dear, I will be gone. The doctors told me I have but a few hours to live, so I am using those few hours to write you this letter. _

_I know you will be sad my pet, and I know you always hated to crying, but if you need to cry, you cry. No one will look down on you for that._

_I am sorry I did not live long enough to teach you everything I wanted to teach you. And I'm sorry we never took that trip to the human world, like I said we would._

_Sometimes life has ups and downs. You just need to remember to look for the light in the darkness._

_Mummy knows you will do great things someday. Whatever path you chose to take, I will be supporting you from the stars._

_And my dear Vaati, Never, ever, ever forget how much I love you. I love you more than the sun, I love you more than the moon, and I love you more than the air we breath._

_Love, mum_

Tally let the tears that had gathered in her eyes, fall.

"Poor Vaati..." She whispered to herself.

Tally Tucked the letter carefully back into the book and sighed. She tried to piece together Vaati's past in her mind. Maybe the Picori woman in the painting was Vaati's mother, and Vaati was a Picori once himself, as well. That would explain why Vaati has his mother's letter in a book about the Minish.

Tally tried not to think about it anymore. It just made her upset. The infamous Vaati, had a sad and probably difficult child hood. This was most likely why he was the way he is today! Cold and somewhat bitter from years of sorrow.


End file.
